• සිරිමාවෝ බණ්ඩාරනායක

  • சிறிமாவோ பண்டாரநாயக்க

  • SIRIMAVO BANDARANAIKE

" The World's First Female Prime Minister "

17 March 1961 – First Official Visit –11thCommonwealth Prime Ministers’ Conference

Marking her presence on the world stage, Mrs Bandaranaike undertook her first official visit to London, to attend the 11thCommonwealth Prime Ministers’ Conference. Whilst being the first Commonwealth Conference at which a woman Head of Government had attended, Mrs Bandaranaike joined the ranks of Harold Macmillan of the United Kingdom, Jawaharlal Nehru of India, Ayub Khan of Pakistan, Robert Menzies of Australia, Archbishop Makarios III of Cyprus as well as Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana and Tunku Abdul Rahman of Malaya.Giving her exposure to international affairs, the conference focussed on issues pertaining to apartheid in South Africa, Britain’s entry into the Common Market and its impact on the Commonwealth and the entry of Cyprus and Sierra Leone into the grouping.